Customer Reviews

Suboxone: Take Back Your Life From Pain Medications

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dr. Schaller's highly readable book is able to bring the reader up to speed on Suboxone in no time. It is organized in such a way that you can focus on the topics that are most relevant and then come back and fill in the gaps as you have the time.

Highly recommended.

Suboxone is less than 10 percent as addictive as Methadone and less than 30 percent as addictive as heroin. Suboxone causes far less testosterone depletion than Methadone. It is available from private practitioners, and can legally be prescribed, for 30 days at a time. In contrast, many Methadone patients suffer long daily commutes, to undesirable neighborhoods, to obtain highly addictive Methadone maintenance. They are often treated rudely and disrespectfully, at Methadone clinics. Methadone was a factor in the deaths of 2,992 people in 2003, up from 790 in 1999, according to an analysis of death certificates conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Less than five percent of Methadone patients are able to taper or withdraw from Methadone's "liquid handcuffs." Calsyn D, Malcy J and Saxon A. Slow tapering from methadone maintenance in a program encouraging indefinite maintenance J Subst Abuse Treat. 2006 Mar;30(2):159-163.

Wider use of Suboxone would reduce these alarming numbers. Physicians certified to administer buprenorphine have recently been allowed to treat 100 patients at a time, instead of 30. Buprenorphine and Suboxone treatment availabilty is rapidly expanding, while in some states, patients travel 3 hours each way to obtain Methadone treatment. With competition from Suboxone certified physicians, Methadone clinics hopefully will be forced to treat patients more considerately and offer more convenient hours of operation.

Suboxone is a readable and thorough discussion of how to use Suboxone to treat pain and opiate dependency. I agree with Dr. Schaller that slower Suboxone tapers are more effective than rapid tapers and decrease opiate relapse rates.

Suboxone explains that the adverse buprenorphine/benzodiazepine reactions reported in France, only occurred when intravenous administration occurred. Suboxone contains detailed lists of possible Cytochrome P450 3A4 detoxification interactions with other medications. Patients and Practitioners will both find these useful.

The discussion distinguishing genetically transmitted anxiety from an unwillingness to cope with normally occuring anxiety is especially needed, in a society which assumes all benzodiazepine patients are "pillheads" or addicts. Dr. Schaller observes that genetically anxious patients can maintain the same therapeutic daily dose for years, while true addicts, continue increasing daily maintainence doses, after the first year. Schaller distinguishes addiction from dependency - something the general public needs to comprehend. Considering Dr. Schallers impressive credentials and ability to detect neurotoxicity, nutritional and hormonal deficiencies and other less apparent anxiety causes, laymen and practitioners need to accept that some anxious patients will continue to require benzodiazepine medication, despite the most brilliant testing, diagnosis and treatment of other possible anxiety causes.

Read this book to learn how freedom from opiate dependency can be obtained. I agree with Dr. Schaller, that Suboxone is the best drug that almost no one has heard of.

Subutex is essentially Suboxone without Naloxone. Subutex is available generically, is less likely to cause allergic reactions than Suboxone and can save uninsured patients money.

Steven Sponaugle

Dr. James Schaller has provided the first of it's kind book on a brand new treatment for opiate users. This fine resource is a "must have" for those who want to learn how to over come their addiction, or for the loved ones who want to help them. I would highly recommend this book.

Having had access to the final drafts and being acknowledged for some technical assistance in finalising the text, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anybody interested in obtaining a concise guide to Suboxone. Suboxone (Buprenorphine+Naloxone) is THE major advance in the treatment of opiate/ pain medication dependence/addiction in the last 30 years, and this book is an excellent explanation of the what, why, when and how it should be used. This book is useful to anyone who is interested in using Suboxone as a consumer, or prescriber, or learning about the details of this drug's use. If you have a heroin, opiate or pain pill problem, or know someone who has, buy this book to get an informed and concise reference to the most promising treatment for opiate dependence, a highly disabling, dangerous, and potentiallly fatal illness. This book could save your life.

a very small book at a very large price...good information but not enough...it,s only 140 pages...at $44 with shipping it,s not worth the price...it,s less then a half inch thick...i got more info off the internet

For anyone who is on heavy duty painkillers, street drugs, or just plain "addicted" and needs help, this book explains in easy to read language for any lay person why and how it works. This may be the one "medicine" that can help with pain that is not addictive, has minimal side effects, can be taken long term and the government is HAPPY for doctor's to prescribe. However, education is key or it doesn't work as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone even thinking of trying it, or who really needs to get off street drugs or pain meds. Dr. Schaller made it easy for even the most non scientific mind to be able to understand how it works. Great job.

I'm about a month clean from opiates now and I think Suboxone is BS. First of all it has a 72 hour half-life, which makes it take 6 days to get out've your system at the minimum. I tapered down to literally one microscopic crumb of Suboxone a day and I'd feel fine the first couple days after quitting. Then I'd feel withdrawals that were so slow and drawn out I'd go nuts and seriously want to off myself. So what I did was get back onto a small dose of Oxycontin, which made me feel slightly human compared to Suboxone, then I went through the 'Short n' Hard' withdrawals of Oxycontin. I'd take the Short n' hard withdrawals any day over long, drawn out withdrawals that make you so depressed you wanna off yourself. But to each there own, I guess things work differently for every person.

I have known Dr. James Schaller for several years now; he is brilliant, compassionate, witty, highly evolved, and most informed. I am not even slightly surprised that he could write a book on such a compelling and prescient subject as addition to pain medication. My own family's personal struggles with drugs caused by inappropriate treatment to bipolar disorder and from misdiagnoses to horrendously advanced Lyme encouraged me to read Dr. Schaller's newest book. I was tranported by its simple clarity, vision, and elegance. The man is a genius. Thank God, drug addition to pain meds is one problem I have not experienced, but I have many friends who cannot say the same thing. I am referring ten friends to this book tonight. I can tell anyone reading this review that my decades as an English professor and medical research writer have taught me a lot. I can spot an "empty" book in about ten minutes. Dr. Schaller's books are all "replete"; they are pithy, well-documented, and comporting. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I will pass it along to my medical doctor friends. TONIGHT!
Cheryl Roberts, Ph.D.
Lakewood, New York

The doc that wrote this book only sees Suboxone from his perspective as a physician; how could he do otherwise? I have first hand experience as a patient prescribed Suboxone so I have an entirely different and also limited frame of reference; how could I be otherwise? Briefly, there exists a prodigious contradistinction between our two hypotheses on the efficacy of Suboxone in treating narcotic addiction.

A bit of history: Morphine was touted as the cure for opium addiction, then subsequently heroin became the medicine of choice to combat morphine addiction. Next came Methadone: the miracle pharmaceutical remedy for heroin dependance. Now we have Suboxone the new nostrum sensation to treat ALL narcotic dependancies whether they be from heroin, oxycodone, hydromorphone, or methadone. Guess what? Not a one of these sequential antiserums including Suboxone turned out anything like what they were initially hyped up to be. So, if you are contemplating 'taking the Suboxone cure' to overcome your pain med habit think again. Suboxone arguably is just the fourth miracle narcotic addiction cure to come along with five and six likely to materialize soon. Yes, I am overstating the case. Read the doc's book and learn about all the very positive potential outcomes of addiction treatment with Buprenorphine [the primary ingredient in suboxone]. But also be skeptical. It's simply much too painless to get 'pretend clean' with Sub. Realize that you all you have accomplished is to substitute one extremely addictive narcotic type drug with another.

My three star rating of "Suboxone Take Back Your Life from Pain Medications" results from doc Schaller's gushy, ecclesiastic endorsement of Suboxone. It appears that a high percentage of his patients are very successful in 'taking their lives back'. I do not doubt this. But I also know that the potential downsides of this regimen are about equal to the positives, and that his patients and those of his colleagues represent only a small percentage of all those who take suboxone.

Cornerstone components of addiction and recovery are subtle and truly impossible for normal non addicted people to completely grasp. That's why all successful addiction treatments like AA and NA depend on addicts helping addicts. This is also why non addicts, MD's or not, fail as addiction specialists. Recovery seems to hinge on the understanding of a whole multiplicity of counterintuitive concepts. One pertinent example is the foundation that strong will power is a major blockage to recovery NOT an asset. Unless you are a recovering addict you will understand at most 75% and no more of the similar critical elements of addiction and recovery. The many negative aspects of using Suboxone as a recovery tool fall into this 'club members only' category. Take Sub, go cold turkey on your beloved Oxycontin and suffer close to zero physical withdrawal symptoms! That IS pretty cool. But your love affair with narcotics will remain wholly intact, and abstinence does make the heart grow fonder. Dr. Schaller dutifully and quite correctly explains that dissolving the orange tab under your tongue is only about one-third of the treatment program. The remaining two-thirds of a successful program of recovery are, unlike dissolving an orange flavored tab in your pie hole, are pure unmitigated hard work on a daily basis for the rest of your life.

The majority of Suboxone tab suckers end up using the med as a temporary 'vacation' from active opium based pain med use as a method to painlessly lower their tolerance to narcotics back down NOT as an element of a recovery program. This is precisely why the huge black market for Subs exists. To once again experience the euphoria and anti-depressant effects addicts get from narcotics [yes antidepressant] one needs to get OFF Suboxone 100%. Suboxone totally smothers the effects of all pain meds unless you take extreme doses of them. The blocking effect is Suboxones major medical selling point. But alas it works just like Antabuse for alcohol. That is to say, it does not work at all. The alcoholic stops taking Antabuse so he can get drunk and the junkie stops taking Buprenorphine so he can get high. Medical protocol for Suboxone leans towards taking it for the rest of your life so as to permanently block the reinforcing mental effects narcotics, but only a small percentage of people attempt, or even wish to, take Suboxone on a long term basis.

With doctor Schallers's book it is all a matter of degree, but the only factual disagreement I have is in regard to Bupe discontinuation. Schaller states over and over that if one decides to honestly get clean and eventually discontinue Suboxone the withdrawal effects are mild and easily managed. This is utter and unsubstantiated BS! Although it is rumored that some quit Suboxone fairly easily by tapering their dosage, others experience the rock bottom worst withdrawal symptoms incurred from any chemical on earth. For most the ensuing sickness is significantly worse then going cold turkey on Oxycontin or Heroin. Tapering is impossible. Withdrawal from Bupe does not kick in until around day five after stopping and it can take three or four more days to peak. Duration of Bupe WD is measured in weeks instead of days for Heroin. Many are temporarily hospitalized with a plethora of symptoms so horrifying as to be utterly unimaginable to even those with plenty of previous WD experience. Bupe withdrawal is dosage and duration dependent. If the patient has been following the utterly incorrect standard dosage regimen of eight to twenty or more milligrams per day for months or years no gradual taper or any other plan will prevent the onslaught of a horrendous episode.

So if your goal truly is to get clean and sober you will suffer LESS in the end by avoiding Suboxone!

With Bupe less is more. Why trained Sub MD's have not figured this out and junkies have is a mystery. Todays standard dosage scheduling for this med is too high by orders of magnitude. Where dosages as high as double digits per day [generally a minimum of one eight mg tab twice a day] are prescribed four milligrams once daily usually is adequate. The idea should be to take as little as possible for the shortest possible period if one ever hopes to stop. The taper must start on day two not year two. If you don't believe this locate some Bupe users on the net and ask them instead of accepting what your MD says. There exists a huge black market for Suboxone.The Suboxone black market exists not from demand for Suboxone by desperate junkies who have chosen to kick their pain med addiction nearly so much as from junkies have found that it's great to have a stash of Bupe around when either your connection for dope falls through or for when you want to go off narcotics for a while to lower your tolerance. It is easily obtained from illicit sources for about fifteen dollars an eight milligram pill. The number of people who self medicate with Suboxone is greater then those who obtain it through specially trained MD's.

In conclusion if you have an interest in perhaps taking the Bupe cure by all means purchase and read this book, but read it with some healthy skepticism and don't use MD's like doc Schaller as your sole source of information in deciding whether or not to take the leap of faith and dissolve the magic orange tablet under your tongue.

Another great and readable book by Dr. Schaller. This author makes reading both interesting and educational. Lookiing forward to more publications by this learned medical author.